SDCC 2011: Interview With Warm Bodies Author Isaac Marion

A zombie story can be autobiographic, right? Okay, not exactly, but real life inspiration did help author Isaac Marion develop his book Warm Zombies to an extent. Marion joined Summit Entertainment at San Diego Comic Con, as the studio has snatched up his pieces to bring it to the big screen. In fact, the lead roles have already been cast.

Nicholas Hoult will star as R, a zombie who’s a little more alert than his moaning and mindless counterparts. Teresa Palmer will step in as Julie, a living and breathing human who winds up crossing paths with R, becoming his friend rather than his next meal. Warm Bodies features a number of supporting roles as well, namely M, another more astute zombie and Julie’s best friend Nora, but at this point, in terms of casting those parts, Marion explained, “There’s very early discussions about a few of them, but I’m not even allowed to know it yet, much less talk about it.”

However, Marion does know quite a bit about the adaptation process, as he’s gotten the chance to work with writer-director Jonathan Levine. “I got to read an early draft of [the script] and just give general notes and feedback,” he said. Rather than watch from the sidelines, as he’s heard happens with many authors during this process, Marion is excited to be particularly involved. He pointed out, “They’ve consulted me every step of the way and would even call me to brainstorm ideas for how to visualize certain scenes.”

It’s really no wonder Summit is keeping in touch with Marion; his book is particularly unique. In an industry flooded with supernatural creatures, it’s impressive how Marion not only found an angle filmmakers have yet to cover, but uses the original perspective to his benefit creating an incredibly detailed and intriguing world. Hear all about where the idea came from, Marion’s experience working with Summit and more in the video interview below.